


Crack the Shutters

by SocksAreArgyle



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Grey-Asexual Kurapika, M/M, Panic Attacks, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-04-08 03:49:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4289667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SocksAreArgyle/pseuds/SocksAreArgyle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seeing Leorio again isn't something Kurapika had planned, yet it's something he will forever be grateful for.</p><p>Post 2011 anime.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leorio never asked Kurapika what he had been doing in such a shady part of town in such a run-down bar, but he was grateful for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i told myself i wouldn't be writing this, and then i told myself that i wouldn't be posting it publicly after i did write it, yet here i am. writing this. and posting this at nearly 3 am. i hope you enjoy and forgive me for any typos and how little i actually seem to be able to write for one chapter

Kurapika didn't remember what time it was when he felt careful hands on his forearms, bringing them away from the glass sitting atop the warped wood counter in front of him.The bar he had sat himself at was mostly empty.The only other seat that was occupied was at the very end in the corner, where a man sat with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and a half-full glass of beer in his hand.He also didn't remember how much he had to drink.

"Hey, Kurapika," the person who the gentle hands belonged to said quietly.Kurapika blinked slowly and looked up at the figure, who he could barely make out in the dim lights of the bar.The first thing he recognized were the glasses: small, round lenses perched on a prominent nose.When the soft voice said, "Let's get you out of here," he obliged and stood weakly, allowing Leorio to wrap his arm around Kurapika's shoulders to help him stand.

Leorio walked him outside, and suddenly Kurapika was thankful for the cool night air.Leorio led him around to the passenger side and buckled him in before hurrying over to the driver's side.

Kurapika watched him slowly, turning his head to follow Leorio's long strides around the front of the car.He blinked again and just stared as Leorio got inside the car and did his own seatbelt.He paused when he caught Kurapika staring and frowned.

"What's the matter?Are you okay?" Leorio asked, voice laced with concern.

Kurapika just nodded once.Leorio sighed and looked forward again, giving Kurapika another worried glance before driving off.

Kurapika remembered driving out of the town he had wound up in, and looking out at an expanse of blackness as they drove to the next city through the night.Before he could even start to think about where they were headed in his current, muddled state, he fell asleep with his forehead pressed against the cool window.

 

~~~~~

 

When Kurapika woke, he found himself in a bed, seemingly woken by the sound of a door closing.He had the blankets pulled up almost completely over his face, head no longer even on the pillow.He peeked out from his cocoon of sheets and shimmied up onto his pillow to look around.The pillow next to him looked used as well, but all the sheets were currently only on his side of the bed. 

He turned and looked around at what he can see of the room he's in.The wallpaper has the name of a hotel inscribed in the pattern, and when he turned again he saw the window, drapes half open to reveal a lively city a few stories down.He furrowed his brows and tried to collect his thoughts from the night before and sighed when all he remembered was Leorio picking him up from some strange bar and driving him somewhere. 

Once he gathered his senses more as his body began to function, he smelled coffee.He reached up and rubbed his eyes as he began to kick the covers off of himself.When he sat up he found the clock on the bedside table read almost 10:30 in the morning.He frowned, wishing he would've woken up earlier, but couldn't blame himself based on how he had been feeling the night before.

"Ah, you're finally awake!"

Kurapika turned with a start to see Leorio standing in the hall that presumably leads to the front door with a cup of hot coffee in each hand. 

Kurapika let out a long breath and nodded, running his fingers through his hair to try and make it look half-decent.

"I'm surprised I slept this long, even with how exhausted I was yesterday.I thought I'd still wake up before you did," the blond said groggily, rubbing his eyes again to try and make them focus.

When he took his hands away, Leorio was frowning and walking towards him, handing over a cup of coffee - which Kurapika accepted gratefully - before explaining.

"Kurapika, that was two days ago.You slept all day yesterday.I only got you up to eat something and have some water and use the bathroom."

Kurapika frowned over the lip of his mug because he doesn't remember any of that at _all_.He figured he must've been half asleep.

"Oh," he muttered quietly, "Thank you."He took a small sip of his coffee, not minding the bitterness that he's met with.

Leorio just nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed, bouncing Kurapika ever so slightly.As Kurapika began to wake up more, he took in more of what he was feeling and where he was and what was happening as Leorio told him about what happened last night.Kurapika vaguely remembered the things that Leorio tells him: how he had found him in a bar, had gotten him into the car, and ended up driving a few towns over before stopping and getting a hotel to stay in for a few days.He thought about the eyes he had gathered only for a moment, making a note to go back and get them another time, knowing that they were safe where he kept them for now.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Leorio asked, leaning over on the bed to get a better view of Kurapika.

Kurapika nodded and scoffed."I got almost thirty-six hours of sleep, Leorio.I think I'm alright."

Leorio sighed and rolled his eyes, a smile creeping onto his lips, "Yeah yeah, okay.Forgive me for worrying," he said and took another long swig of his coffee.

Kurapika paused, looking down at the dark liquid in his mug for a moment.Then he smirked and leaned forward towards Leorio."You didn't do anything to me in my sleep, now, did you?" he teased, raising his eyebrows at the taller man.

Leorio blushed furiously and stiffened."W-well, no!Of course not!I'm not that kind of man!" he sputtered, clearly offended and embarrassed by Kurapika's remark.

Kurapika just arched an eyebrow and chuckled, soft and sweet, before he sipped his coffee again.

Leorio stopped his sputtering and let out a content sigh as he smiled."I'm glad that made you smile.You looked pretty awful the other night, I was starting to worry," he said softly, much more softly than Kurapika had ever heard him speak.It shocked him and he looked up at Leorio, forgetting his coffee for the moment.

Leorio seemed to have realized what he just said, probably because of how shocked Kurapika looked, so he looked away to hide the blush that's beginning to creep up into his cheeks again, rubbing the back of his neck nervously with his free hand.

"Just… drink your coffee," he mumbled before taking a sip from his own mug.

Kurapika did so, while smiling into his mug a little.

Then he realized something and jolted.

He didn't have his binder on.

And when he looked down at himself he realized he was wearing one of Leorio's white button-ups - or at least assumed it was Leorio's because of how long the sleeves are on him - and, thankfully, his own pair of black boxer-briefs, but nothing else.

Now it was his turn to blush furiously.He frantically tried to cover up, yanking the blankets back over his lap and trying not to spill his coffee in the process

"Where are my clothes?" he asked, much louder and more alarmed than he had hoped he would sound, which only makes his face grow hotter as he began to curl in on himself.

Leorio jumped a little and frowned, knowing that this would've come up at some point.He adjusted his glasses and stood, hurrying over to the bathroom to grab the hanger holding the suit Kurapika had been wearing as well as his binder.The bag he had with him that he kept all his other belongings in was at Leorio's feet against the wall.

Leorio almost looked as though he winced and frowned guiltily when Kurapika tugged awkwardly at the shirt he was wearing and folded his arms tight over his chest, mug held precariously with one finger. 

"Sorry about that," Leorio began carefully, "I figured you'd prefer it if I got the suit cleaned up.And I wasn't sure how long you'd be out and I didn't want you to get hurt wearing your binder for too long."He walked back and put the hanger back on the bathroom door before moving out into the main room again to stand in front of Kurapika.

The blond sighed and nodded, looking down at the pool of sheets on top of his lap, letting his arms loosen only enough to get a better hold on his mug."I understand, thank you," he mumbled finally, not looking up from his lap.

It's not like any of this was news to Leorio, so Kurapika didn't understand why he was so embarrassed.Leorio was even the one to help him get an actual binder and had scolded him rather harshly for using bandages at first.Leorio never asked anything about it and never treated him any differently, which Kurapika was extremely grateful for.The idea that Leorio had undressed him while he was unconscious seemed to be what made him embarrassed.

When Kurapika finally looked back up at Leorio, he noticed that he was wearing a loose tee-shirt and sweatpants that were hanging much too low on his hips to be decent.

Leorio cleared his throat, and Kurapika can tell it wasn't to grab his immediate attention, but it still snapped him out of his daze to realize he was staring at Leorio's crotch.He looked up at Leorio, who was glancing away and looking rather sheepish.

"I didn't do anything indecent when I changed you out of your clothes.It was purely me just making sure you weren't hurt and wouldn't get hurt by something rather preventable," he murmured.

Kurapika fiddled with his hands a little, wrapping them both around his mug before setting it down in his lap.He still kept himself rather tucked in on himself, though.

Leorio cleared his throat again and rubbed the back of his neck, before gathering his voice at full volume, "But I'm, um, I'm sorry it made you feel uncomfortable."

Kurapika just shook his head slightly."No, it's okay," he said, trying to sound less embarrassed than he was, but he could still hear his voice shake.

A long silence dragged between them before Leorio asked if Kurapika would like to change into something else, and while Kurapika doesn't particularly want to move from his spot on the bed, he nodded.He downed the rest of his now room-temperature coffee before grabbing his bag to change into his own clothes.He tried not to notice how long Leorio's shirt is on him in the hallway mirror, and tried even harder not to notice the little leap his stomach makes upon the sight.

"Take a shower while you're at it," Leorio said as he finished his own coffee and set it beside Kurapika's empty mug on the bedside table, "You haven't bathed in a few days, I assume."

Kurapika grinned and turns back to face Leorio."I'm shocked that you didn't take the liberty upon yourself to bathe me while I was half asleep," he teased, any embarrassment seemingly thrown out the window.

Leorio groaned and rolled his eyes, waving a dismissive hand at Kurapika as he sat back down on the edge of the bed. "Yeah yeah, just wash up."

Kurapika chuckled again and stepped inside the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.The lights seemed too bright and he felt as though he looked incredibly small, but that could still be the fact that Leorio's shirt came down nearly to his knees and the sleeves went well over his hands when he let them fall to his sides.The sight made his stomach leap again, so he quickly changed out of it and folded it neatly on the counter and stripped out of his boxers before turning on the shower.

He carefully took out his earring and placed it next to Leorio's shirt while he waited for the water to heat up, giving himself one last glance in the mirror, before stepping into the stream of warm water.

He took his time and was extremely relieved to have some hot water running over his body.He was even more glad to have soap and shampoo, even if they were the tiny hotel brands. 

After he'd spent nearly twenty minutes washing the grime and day-old-booze smell off, he dried himself off and changed into his training suit, but didn't bother putting on his binder.He figured if Leorio hasn't even gotten himself properly changed they'd be laying around all day.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, Leorio had made the bed and was propped up against the headboard, reading the newspaper.He looked up at Kurapika over the front page and smiled warmly.

Kurapika walked back over and sat down in the spot where he had been laying, leaning over to scan over the page Leorio was reading.Nothing caught his interest, so he tucked his legs back under himself and sat up straight.

"So," he began, and Leorio turned his head slightly to acknowledge Kurapika, "Anything planned for today?"

Leorio shook his head and smiled widely, "Nope.Today was solely for me to see if you'd wake up.And, since you have, now it's the day where I make sure you're as okay as you can be."

Kurapika made a surprised noise, but then covered it up with a soft laugh. "But you're just a medical _student_ , Leorio.Not an actual doctor, remember?"

Leorio nodded, still not looking up from the paper; instead he turned the page and said, "I know, but I still know enough to give you a quick check-up.I want to make sure you're not in any danger health-wise."

Kurapika took in a short breath, feeling a blush and smile creep onto his face, and it remained there as Leorio had him sit on the edge of the bed while he looked him over.Kurapika was rather pleased despite being somewhat flustered, having forgotten how much Leorio cared about others, and enjoyed himself as he watched Leorio do his work.

Leorio concluded that Kurapika was fine, saying that it was probably the sleep that helped him fight anything off.When he brought up getting food, however, Kurapika's stomach let out a loud growl.He gasped and wrapped his arms around his middle, trying - and failing - to stifle the noises.

Leorio laughed and grabbed a room-service menu from the bedside table drawer and handed it to Kurapika."Order anything you like.It's on me," he said through a grin, leaning over to look at the menu as well.

"What?No, I'll pay for myself.You don't have-" he began, but Leorio held out his hand to stop him and shook his head.

"Nope, _you_ are my patient, so _I_ have to take care of you.I'm paying," he said matter-of-factly, and Kurapika knew that there was no way he'd give in now. 

Kurapika did, in fact, end up ordering anything and as much as he liked.When he finished jotting down his order on the hotel notepad, he ended up with three different breakfast dishes, and treated himself to a separate side of bacon as well.If he were in different circumstances, he would've gotten far less, but he and Leorio both knew that he technically hadn't eaten anything since early the day before when Leorio had woken him up to drink some water and eat a little snack. 

When the food arrived not too long after, Kurapika was already waiting at the edge of the bed, his stomach growling again as the smell of bacon, eggs, and syrup filled the room.It would be an understatement if Leorio said he was impressed that the boy could eat so much.However, he just chuckled and snagged a piece of bacon while he told Kurapika about what he'd been up to recently and how Gon and Killua were doing.

Kurapika listened carefully and nodded every now and then, making comments at certain times - especially when Leorio began going on about how he had almost become chairman by accident when he punched Ging Freecss in the face - as he wolfed down his three breakfasts.

Leorio never asked Kurapika what he had been doing in such a shady part of town in such a run-down bar, but he was grateful for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a [tumblr](http://armintie.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally got to the small awning that covered the front step to the apartment complex after a few almost-spills on the slick streets and squeezed close together to get out of the onslaught of rain. The cramped space had the both of them pressed against each other, Kurapika's hand gripping onto the fabric of Leorio's coat so he wouldn't topple backwards off the step.
> 
> He had to look straight up to see Leorio's face, but Leorio was still laughing and too breathless to mind the closeness between them. When he looked down at Kurapika, though, Kurapika swore that Leorio's cheeks flushed a little pinker before he fumbled with the doorknob so they could spill into the entryway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was gonna wait till tomorrow but i figured i would just post this now and hope that i didn't pass over any typos while going through it again

Staying in the hotel didn't last long.

After a few days of sitting around in bed, going out to lunch and dinner and ordering room service when neither of them felt like getting up and changing, and Kurapika listening to Leorio try to explain something in one of his textbooks, Leorio finally decided it was time for him to go back to university.When Kurapika asked why he waited so long, his response was that he wanted to make sure that Kurapika was okay.Again, Kurapika scoffed and rolled his eyes, telling Leorio that he worried too much.

While they were packing up their few small items, Leorio told Kurapika that he should come with him to stay in his apartment.

"That is, if you don't have anything you need to tend to," Leorio backtracked quickly, suddenly extremely focused on folding one of his shirts.

Kurapika was slightly taken aback, watching the side of Leorio's face for a long while before cracking a smile and chuckling."Well, if you insist I come with you, then I will," he said as he returned to stuffing his suit in his bag.

He knew that any other day before then he wouldn't've agreed to do such a thing.Now, though, he knew he could rest easy.He had completed his main goal and gathered his family again.And he was more than certain that he needed to take a break from running from city to city, country to country, stressing about the Phantom Troupe and barely getting any sleep. 

After that first day of being awake in their little hotel room, Kurapika had told Leorio nearly everything, save for a few small details such as not getting enough sleep and sometimes not eating for an entire day, knowing he would only fuss about it.

Leorio had been ecstatic when Kurapika told him he had gathered his clan's eyes again, and now understood why Kurapika had been in such a dingy little town drinking low-class booze. 

He was also more than happy to drive Kurapika back to that little alley when they head out so he could collect them all again.

 

~~~~~

 

After hours of traveling, sitting through long bursts of silence only to be interrupted by a small comment and laughter, they arrived in the front of a small set of apartments, just a few blocks down from Leorio's university.It was nearing six o'clock, but Kurapika could already tell the sun was setting.

They hauled their bags up to the front stoop, Kurapika taking extra care with the large bag Leorio had offered him so he could carry those precious glass vials, and then moved up a short flight of stairs to Leorio's front door.

It swung inward with a small squeak, opening up to a - surprisingly - clean apartment.Kurapika stepped in and stared as Leorio shut the door behind them and switched on the lights.

"Home, sweet home," Leorio announced, taking in a deep breath and sighing it out through his nose."Here," he said, taking Kurapika's bag out of his hand and bringing it down a short hall into, what must've been, the bedroom, leaving Kurapika to stand there with the oversized bag carrying the scarlet eyes slung over his shoulder.

Leorio appeared moments later and paused, scratching his chin while he thought.

"You can put that," he began, pointing to the bag while he strode across the room to the closet, "In here for safe keeping, if you'd like."He pulled the doors open and cleared a space on the floor, mostly just shoving anything he could into the opposite corner.

Kurapika nodded and thanked him, stepping around a small coffee table to reach the closet and gently place the bag down on the floor, making sure all the vials were standing upright and had no way of getting damaged.

Once the doors were closed again, Kurapika took his time looking around the small front room, a small kitchen space located on the other side of the room.

"Nice place you got here," he commented, letting just a little bit of sarcasm seep into his tone.

Leorio grinned."Yeah, well, it isn't much, but for a university student it's pretty good," he said."Oh!" he added quickly, making Kurapika startle, "A tour!Let me give you the grand tour." 

He stepped out into the middle of the living room, arms spread wide to motion to the small space. "This," he said, pausing for _dramatic effect_ , "is the living room."

Kurapika brought his hand up to his mouth to stifle a laugh before dropping it again to cross both arms across his chest. "Fascinating," he offered as a response, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling too widely at Leorio's obvious amusement at his own commentary.

Leorio stood perfectly upright, suddenly much taller than Kurapika remembered, and continued with his official-tour-guide voice. "This is where you'll often find me eating meals or reading a textbook on human anatomy and diseases, which, mind you, don't often work too well together."

Kurapika chuckled and nodded in understanding. "Duly noted."

Leorio took a few short steps back and waved his arms out again. 

"This is the kitchen.We have a fridge," he said, walking over to pat the top of the short fridge, "a stove, and a sink," both of which got their own individual pats.

Kurapika went along with it, rubbing his chin in mock thought. "Interesting, I see."He couldn't help but grin, though.

Half-way down the hallway, Leorio stopped again and Kurapika bumped into his arm.

After a quiet apology, he opened the door next to them to display a small bathroom."The throne room," was Leorio's introduction, and Kurapika giggled behind his fist.There was a toilet, a small sink with a toothbrush resting on the edge, and a medicine cabinet doubling as a mirror hanging above it.The shower on the other side of the tiny room was also coupled with a bathtub, and Kurapika was pleased with that.

Further down the hall was Leorio's bedroom, which was somewhat messier than the rest of the apartment.A desk chair in the corner of the room was covered with a few shirts and a pair of pants, and the bed wasn't made. 

"And this is where I sleep," Leorio said finally, thus ending the grand tour of his home.

Kurapika grinned and stared up at him. "You're just as untidy as I remember," he remarked, and he could see Leorio bristle.

"Hey!Not many people get to see this room.You should be honored," he said, folding his arms over his chest in a pout.

Kurapika laughed, but didn't say anything else as he shimmied past Leorio to the living room again.He sat himself down on the couch and caught Leorio's gaze for a moment.

"You're sure I can stay here?" Kurapika asked, still uncertain about wanting to impose on Leorio like this.

Leorio raised an eyebrow as if Kurapika just asked him what color the sky was."Of course!" he said, placing his hands on his hips, "You need a place to stay.For now, at least.And besides, you can help clean up the place on the weekends and do the dishes when I don't want to."

Kurapika rolled his eyes and leaned back into the cushions. "Oh, joy.How will I ever thank you?" he said dryly, watching Leorio with a smirk.

The older man chuckled and leaned against the edge of the stove. "Well, you can go out to dinner with me and thank me after that."

Despite knowing the proposal's innocent intentions, Kurapika looked down at his lap as he felt his face heat.

 _What is_ wrong _with me?_ he wondered, hoping these bouts of butterflies in his stomach would stop sometime soon.

"A-absolutely, I'd love to," he said once he'd gathered himself again, smiling back up at Leorio, who beamed down at him.He didn't seem to have realized how he had said it.

 _That's because he's not going crazy_ , Kurapika told himself.

"Great!We should head out now before it gets too late," he said, hurrying back into his room to grab a coat, "I know just the place."

 

~~~~~

 

They ended up in a tiny diner just down the street from the apartment as it neared seven o'clock, taking one of the booth seats near the back of the restaurant. 

Leorio told Kurapika about nearly everything on the menu; what was good and what was bad, how one sandwich compared to another, which kind of milkshake was his favorite, and so on.

Kurapika listened dutifully, only grimacing when Leorio started going on about the egg salad sandwich and let him know that he would _never_ be ordering that.

After two visits from the waiter, they each ordered different burgers.Leorio ordered himself a beer and Kurapika ordered a chocolate-banana milkshake, the one that Leorio had recommended.Once their drinks came, Leorio waited until Kurapika tried his shake to see his reaction.His reaction turned out to be an extremely amazed expression and another long sip through his straw.

Leorio seemed pleased with the reaction, so he took a sip of his beer, licking his lips to get rid of the little bits of foam from the top of the glass.

There was silence while Kurapika drank his shake and Leorio watched him.When Kurapika finally let the straw fall to the edge of the glass again, Leorio snickered.

"Like it?" he asked as he toyed with his fork on the table absently.

Kurapika nodded. "Very much so," he says with a wide smile.

"You look like a little kid when you drink that," Leorio said, and then laughed when Kurapika made an offended noise and scowled at him.

"Well, do you expect me to get a beer like you?" he snapped.

Leorio barked out a laugh. "Well, no.You are underage, if I'm remembering correctly."

Kurapika sighed. "Yes, you're right about that.But it's not like I would anyway."

"Is that so?" Leorio asked, arching an eyebrow as he took another gulp of beer.Kurapika suddenly remembered his night just a few days ago when Leorio had found him, but decided not to bring it up and was grateful that Leorio didn't say anything either.

Kurapika pursed his lips and nodded curtly instead."Besides," he said, "This milkshake is _damn_ good."

He took another long drink through the straw and smacked his lips, as if to show Leorio that he didn't need anything else.Leorio snorted and covered his mouth with his hand, but his eyes gave away his obvious amusement.

Kurapika's next witty remark was cut short when their waiter came back, this time with two plates holding burgers and piles of fries on each.

They both silenced their small argument and opted for digging into their dinner.

Leorio went straight in for the burger, taking a large bite out of it and wiping a stray bit of ketchup off his lip.Kurapika, on the other hand, cut his burger in half before beginning.

He had ordered a cheeseburger with everything, save the pickles, and was very happy with his decision. 

They both didn't say anything as they began their meal, and said nothing until Kurapika had finished his first half of the burger and started on the massive stack of fries.They talked about anything that came to mind, mostly involving past experiences and remembering all of their past times together.None of it held any degree of seriousness, and soon they were both laughing loudly and freely.That is, until they started getting funny looks from the other patrons.They quieted down into little snickers and sudden loud laughter covered by hands before it got too out of hand at that point.

It was eight-thirty when they finally left the diner.The sky was cloudy, and a clap of thunder had them both looking up at the dark clouds illuminated by the city lights.

"Oh, please don't," Leorio started, but fat drops were already falling down from the sky.

It didn't take its time in starting to pour as they walked, and Kurapika cursed as he started picking up his pace.When he turned back to glance at Leorio, he stopped in his tracks, nearly slipping in a puddle, when he saw Leorio standing a few yards back with a massive grin plastered on his face as he let the rain soak him through, arms spread out to either side.

Kurapika frowned and hurried back down the sidewalk to him, tugging at his arm. "You were the one who said you didn't want it to rain!" he said over another clap of thunder, making them both jump.

"Oh, come on Kurapika, it's a _rainstorm_!" he said enthusiastically, and Kurapika couldn't help but let his glee spread into himself.

"Yes, but come _on_ , or we'll get sick!" he pleaded, but the grin on his face nearly gave him away.

The smile that Leorio flashed his way had his eyes growing wide and heart fluttering before he grabbed his arm in a firmer grip and dragged him down the sidewalk until they were both running back to the apartment.

They finally got to the small awning that covered the front step to the apartment complex after a few almost-spills on the slick streets and squeezed close together to get out of the onslaught of rain.The cramped space had the both of them pressed against each other, Kurapika's hand gripping onto the fabric of Leorio's coat so he wouldn't topple backwards off the step.

He had to look straight up to see Leorio's face, but Leorio was still laughing and too breathless to mind the closeness between them.When he looked down at Kurapika, though, Kurapika swore that Leorio's cheeks flushed a little pinker before he fumbled with the doorknob so they could spill into the entryway.

By the time they got into Leorio's apartment, they were both shivering and Kurapika's teeth may or may not have been chattering violently.

Leorio started stripping out of his soaked clothes as soon as the door closed, draping his coat and shirt over his arm, while Kurapika stared in dismay.When he quickly turned to Kurapika, he jumped and tried to look a little less distracted as Leorio told him to change out of his clothes before he really did catch a cold.

Kurapika nodded shakily, trying to ignore the acrobatics his heart seemed to be performing.It wasn't like he hadn't seen Leorio without a shirt on before, but time apart seemed to have changed his reactions.

He looked down to hide his flustered expression and fumbled with his tabard before handing it over to Leorio, who turned to hang it up with his own clothes.

"Your stuff is in my room.You go change first," he said quickly, and Kurapika did as he was told.

He was happy for the privacy while he changed, but as soon as he got into the room and opened his bag, he realized that the only clothes he'd be comfortable enough to sleep in were the one's he was wearing, which were now soaked through with rain water.He groaned and bit at the inside of his cheek.Still, he stripped out of his training suit before his chills got any worse, leaving him in his mostly-dry undergarments.

He eventually opted for borrowing some of Leorio's clothes for the night.

He rifled through the drawers of the dresser that was nestled in the closet, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt that he assumed was somewhat unused, based on how it was shoved in the back of the drawer.He had to roll the waistband of the pants a few times so they wouldn't drag too much on the floor, and the shirt sat oddly on his shoulders, but they were comfortable and warm.

Training suit in hand again, he moved back out into the living room where Leorio was fixing their clothes to hang nicely by the window in the kitchen and had a kettle on the stove.

Kurapika cleared his throat, and when Leorio turned to him, he was surprisingly pleased with how Leorio reacted to him wearing his clothes.

His eyes went a little wider and his jaw went a little slack, but he fixed it rather quickly.Still, Kurapika grinned and handed over his training suit for Leorio to hang up as well.

"I borrowed some clothes since I don't have anything else to wear to bed," he said, his tone playful.

He could see Leorio's throat bob before he nodded."Yeah.Yeah, that's fine," he said in a choked voice, which Kurapika thoroughly enjoyed.

Leorio hurried past him into his room to change himself, leaving Kurapika in the kitchen when the kettle started to whistle. 

Kurapika shut off the stove and grabbed two mugs down from the shelf above him and placed a tea bag from the edge of the stove in each.While he emptied the kettle into the two mugs and let the tea steep, he spared a glance at the clothes hanging over the sink and hoped his clothes would be dry enough by tomorrow.

When Leorio reappeared from his room, a long-sleeved shirt tugged on over his head and a pair of plaid boxers resting snug on his waist, he gladly took a mug and blew on the steaming liquid.

Kurapika played with the ends of his still-damp hair while they both sipped at their mugs, letting the hot tea warm them up again.

"So," Leorio started, and Kurapika hummed, "You get the bed, so I'll use the couch."

Kurapika frowned deeply at the offer."What?No!This is your house, I'm the one intruding," he protested.

Leorio swallowed another mouthful of tea before he shook his head. "No, you're the _guest_.That means you get the bed."

While Kurapika tried to protest again, Leorio moved to the closet on the other side of the room and pulled out a spare pillow and a blanket, tossing them onto the couch.

"You get the bed.You need it more than me," Leorio said with finality.

Kurapika pursed his lips, realizing that this was one of those "I want to make sure you're feeling better" things, and knew that he wouldn't be able to get around it.But, he still tried.

"Leorio, that was five days ago.I'm fine."

Leorio just made a dismissive noise around the lip of his mug, and so Kurapika gave up.

Once they both finished their tea and placed their mugs in the sink to soak, Kurapika offered one last argument, but Leorio waved him off from his spot on the couch.

"Goodnight, Kurapika," he said through the darkness and sound of rain against the window.

Kurapika sighed out a goodnight and shuffled down the hall into Leorio's bedroom, leaving the door open just a crack, before standing at the edge of the bed.

He stood there silently for a long time, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, before he pulled back the blankets and got into the bed. 

It was far more comfortable than he had been expecting, and he could definitely tell it was Leorio's bed based on the lingering smell in the sheets.It wasn't a bad smell, though, and he burrowed further into the pillow to find comfort in the familiar scent of cheap beer, aftershave, and old-textbook.

 

~~~~~

 

When Kurapika woke up, it was to the sound of the closet doors squeaking alarmingly loud.

He pushed the blankets down out of his view to see Leorio hunched over his dresser, quickly going through drawers for clothes.

Kurapika yawned and made a garbled noise that was a sad excuse of a good morning, but Leorio turned to look at him over his shoulder and smiled.The little dopey-eyed grin it turned into had Kurapika wondering what he must've looked like as he sat up.

"Sorry," Leorio said quietly, "I was just grabbing some clothes for class.You can keep sleeping, if you want to.I'll be back in a few hours."He grabbed a pair of pants and pulled them on over the boxers he slept in, tugging a shirt off of a hanger, "Message me if you need anything, okay?"

Kurapika nodded once slowly before asking, "What time is it?" through a particularly large yawn.

"Just after eight," Leorio said as Kurapika glanced over at the window where the morning sun was shining through the drapes. 

As Kurapika kept his eyes trained on the window and willed his body to start functioning properly, Leorio tugged on his clean shirt, tossing the old one on the desk chair already lined with multiple other shirts. 

"Okay, I'm off," he started, drawing Kurapika's sleepy attention back to him, "Make yourself at home while I'm gone.Just don't burn the complex down if you try to cook something.And let me know if you absolutely have to leave for any reason, and tell me where you're going if you do."He was moving around the room rapidly as he spoke, gathering up a book on one side and a notebook on the other.

Kurapika chuckled out, "Yes, of course, _mother_."

Leorio stopped his gathering and gave a long fake laugh. "Yeah, yeah, just let me know."

Now that Leorio was standing still, Kurapika took in the fact that he had never really seen Leorio in anything other than that stupid suit he always wore.He quite liked it, too.

By the time Leorio left with his bag slung over his shoulder and a coat and umbrella under his arm, Kurapika was out in the kitchen finding something suitable to make for breakfast.A plate covered with bread crumbs indicated that Leorio had made himself some toast, and he now noticed the little banged-up toaster sitting on the counter next to the sink.

He set a newly filled kettle on the stove to boil while he snooped around the kitchen to find food. 

The fridge held a carton of eggs along with juice, beer, a few vegetables, and some leftovers that were most likely no longer edible.After more searching and learning his way around this new kitchen, he found a small pan and cooked two eggs. 

 _Now_ , he thought as he sat down minutes later with a mug of hot tea and a plate of eggs, _we wait for Leorio's return_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's my [tumblr](http://armintie.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurapika paused for a moment, pursing his lips. An idea occured to him then, and he grinned wickedly. "Oh, so the view was only worth one meal, huh?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some parts of this chapter are kind of odd, but i like it nonetheless :o 
> 
> thank you all so so much for the kudos!! I'm glad people seem to be liking this!

Kurapika spent his few hours alone shuffling around the apartment, finding everything's place and figuring out where all the light switches were.He also managed to find Leorio's book collection, which was mostly medical textbooks with a few fictional pieces scattered throughout.Just after one in the afternoon, he got a message from Leorio saying that he'd be back to the apartment around three.Kurapika sighed and shoved his phone back into his pocket - or rather the pocket of Leorio's sweatpants - after typing out a hasty reply.

The rain from the night before had since stopped, and when Kurapika looked out the window above the kitchen sink there weren't any clouds in sight.He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the sun warm his face for a moment before he marched down the hall to the bathroom.There was a bathtub, might as well use it while he had the place to himself.

Thankfully, Leorio had some bubble bath under the sink, so he poured a generous amount into the tub that was gradually filling with hot water and watched as it began to build a nice foam on the surface.

He undressed slowly, folding up his clothes on the edge of the sink.When he looked at himself in the mirror, he didn't look as tired as he had a week ago.There was more color in his cheeks and he noticed the bags under his eyes weren't quite as prominent.He pursed his lips, making faces at himself in the mirror, baring his teeth and scrunching his nose before letting his face relax again.His hair was still in some disarray since he woke up, so he ran his fingers through it to make it sit a little smoother.The motion reminded him to put his hair up and he is thoroughly disappointed when there were no hair ties in the bathroom.Although, he wasn't too shocked because it wasn't as if Leorio has luscious locks to keep in line.

Upon opening the bathroom door, his bare skin was met with air much colder than he had expected.He quickly padded down the hall while fighting a chill to grab a hair tie out of his bag before returning to the warmth of the bathroom.A thin sheen of steam was already beginning to form on the mirror.

He quickly pulled his hair up into a short ponytail before shutting off the water in the tub.He gingerly stepped in with one foot, jolting slightly at the heat, before he submerged himself in the hot water.The tub was somewhat short, and he had to bend his knees in order to keep his feet under the water.He huffed and stuck his chin under the water, blowing at the bubbles on the surface to make them part, wondering how Leorio ever took baths in a tub so small.

Once adjusted to the temperature, Kurapika let his arms rest on either side of the tub and he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the water lapping at the walls of the bathtub.

He had been staying with Leorio for almost a week.Now he was in Leorio's apartment, in his bathtub, after sleeping in his bed.He furrowed his brow and tried to will away the butterflies in his stomach by instead thinking about how much of a worry-wart Leorio was. 

Soon, his mind drifted to the scarlet eyes he had kept in the closet in the living room and he hoped that someday he'd have a proper place to keep them.He was surprised at himself for having actually gathered them all.He knew he would've kept searching if he didn't have all of them, but he had found them all in such a short amount of time that he found it hard to believe he even _actually_ gathered them all.

He had carried so much rage for so long.That rage was still there, of course, but he could tell it was no longer his center form of drive to go about his daily life. 

He opened his eyes and stared at the white ceiling and beige tiles lining the walls of the shower, letting his mind wander a while before closing his eyes again. 

Time passed quickly while Kurapika relaxed, and he didn't have a clock to check what time it was, but he assumed Leorio would be back soon.He let his head hang forward again, staring at his knees still sticking up out of the water.He frowned and let them sway back and forth, the sound of the water sloshing filling the room.

Outside, the door opened and clicked back shut, but Kurapika didn't notice as his mind started to wander again.

When the bathroom door flew open, however, Kurapika flailed and made an embarrassingly shocked noise, spilling water over onto the floor.

"Jesus- _fuck_ , _Leorio!_ " he yelled while trying to grab at the shower curtain he had neglected to pull across the tub.

Leorio made an equally surprised noise and shouted, "Ah, shit, sorry, _sorry_!"

Leorio didn't even step out of the room, though.Instead, he whipped his hand up to his face to cover his eyes and continued to stand there, holding the doorknob so tight that his knuckles were white.

Kurapika had the curtain pulled across enough to cover most of himself as he sat up, still allowing his head to poke out to watch Leorio.He was glad he decided to use bubble bath to offer more protection for his lower half.

Kurapika scowled and huffed."Leorio, please leave the room."

"U-um, well, I sorta… had to use th-the bathroom," he stuttered, still covering his eyes with his hands.Kurapika could still see the blush creeping down Leorio's neck, though, and he grinned.He was hoping the heat he felt in his face was from the hot bathwater.

When Leorio cleared his throat after no response from Kurapika, the blond sighed and pulled the shower curtain back. 

"Stay as you are," he told Leorio as he stepped out of the tub, pulling the plug in the drain out.

"Um," Leorio mumbled around an audible swallow, standing up a bit straighter and finally letting go of the doorknob.

"You're fine, I should get out anyway.I'll let you have the bathroom for yourself," Kurapika said quickly as he pulled a towel off one of the hooks on the back of the door and wrapped it securely around himself, "You can open your eyes now."

Leorio slowly peeked out from behind his fingers, eliciting a giggle out of Kurapika, which only made Leorio blush even more as he bristled.

Dropping his hand to his side quickly, Leorio stared at the wall rather than Kurapika and grumbled."Well, excuse me for wanting to make sure."

Kurapika laughed and rolled his eyes."What, like I'd ever let you see me completely naked?Don't you knock?"

Leorio pursed his lips in a pout and crossed his arms."Jeez, jeez, alright.I'm sorry.I'm not used to having someone else living with me," he said.

Taking a deep breath, Kurapika gave Leorio a small smile before patting him on the shoulder as he walked past. "I know.Maybe try to remember next time you come home," he said softly, and was only met with a groan and a "yeah, yeah" before he shut the door behind him and heard the toilet lid open.

He went into Leorio's room to change, closing the door behind himself and hoping that Leorio would knock if he came to this room next.He silently cursed himself for not paying attention and let the blush creep back up into his face as he thought about it again.Hopefully Leorio hadn't seen anything, even if he had been the one to undress him just a few days previous at the hotel.

Pulling on one of his clean pairs of underwear, he tossed the clothes he had borrowed from Leorio onto the desk chair that should've been a clear sign that Leorio needed to do laundry.He also slipped on his binder before opening the door again to peek out.The bathroom door was still shut and he could hear the sink running, so he quickly padded down the hall to the kitchen where his training suit was still hanging.

It was dry now, thankfully, so he pulled it down and draped it over his arm before hurrying to head back to Leorio's room.

In the hall, however, he was met with Leorio once again, who reached up to cover his eyes again.

" _Damnit_ , I, I'm sorry," he sputterd, stepping back into the bathroom doorway to give Kurapika room to pass.

Kurapika let out a small thanks, glad that Leorio decided to cover his face once again so he couldn't see just how pink Kurapika's cheeks were and just how close he had pulled his training suit up to his chest to cover himself as best he could.

Once he was behind the closed door again, he slipped into his clothes quickly before finding Leorio in the living room, who was sitting on the couch bouncing his leg.When Kurapika cleared his throat he could see Leorio's shoulders jerk.Leorio glanced over the back of the couch to look at Kurapika, offering him a sheepish smile.

Kurapika tugged at the fabric of his training suit and gingerly walked over to the couch to sit beside Leorio.They sat quietly for a while, letting the air grow significantly more awkward and heavy around them.

"'m sorry," Leorio murmured finally.

Kurapika chuckled. "It's fine.It's not anything you haven't seen before," he said quietly, only a little strained.

He watched Leorio's throat bob.He had his hands in his lap, fingers interlocked tightly, and he looked far more guilty than Kurapika had expected him to look.When Leorio fidgeted in his seat again, worrying at his lower lip, Kurapika sighed through a smile, drawing Leorio's attention.

"It's alright, honestly.It's going to happen every now and then," he reassured him, turning to face Leorio and resting his elbow on the back of the couch.

Leorio grumbled and finally parted his hands, letting out a loud sigh. "Fine, fine, I won't dwell on it.But I am still going to treat you to dinner to make up for it."

Kurapika frowned. "You treated me to dinner last night!I'll pay for this one," he argued, but Leorio is already standing.

"I think it's only fair that I pay you back with a meal."

Kurapika paused for a moment, pursing his lips.An idea occurs to him then, and he grinned wickedly. "Oh, so the view was only worth one meal, huh?"

Leorio whipped around to face Kurapika, cheeks beet-red, waving his hands madly. "I-! Ah, no, that's not- well, I mean, uh-," he sputtered, clearly trying to come up with an excuse that wouldn't be met with another one of Kurapika's remarks.

The blond only laughed, falling back into the cushions until Leorio ceased his embarrassed blabbering.

"Fine, fine," Kurapika said once Leorio's calmed down enough to listen to him, "You can buy me dinner if it'll make you feel better.But I'm paying next time."

 

~~~~~

 

They ended up going to a small pizza parlor rather than the diner that night, where they split a rather large cheese pizza and a basket of garlic bread.

Once they were home again, Leorio grabbed his pillow and blanket from the closet and tossed it on the couch.

"Oh, no, no, no.You're getting the bed," Kurapika said around his toothbrush.

Leorio whined in protest."I told you, you're the guest so you get the bed.I'm fine here!"

Kurapika sighed and made his way back to the bathroom, putting his toothbrush back and rinsing out his mouth.He didn't say anything when he came back out, instead walking over to Leorio and simply grabbing him by the arm and dragging him down the hall.

"Hey! Ah, Kurapika!" he protested, trying to get out of Kurapika's grasp, but it was little to no use.

"You say I get the bed?Okay, but you do too."

He pushed Leorio onto the mattress, watching him bounce and try to keep his balance.

"I can't just take your bed for more than one night.It's your house," Kurapika said sternly, crossing his arms and standing in front of the door so Leorio couldn't get up and leave."Besides," he continued, and Leorio arched his brow at him, "We've gotten pretty close today.Sharing a bed won't be any worse."

The way Leorio flushed deep red again and fiddled with his hands in his lap left Kurapika surprisingly satisfied.After shutting off the lights, he hopped onto the bed, pushing Leorio over to the other side and ordering him to get under the blankets, which he, surprisingly, did.Kurapika shimmied in next to him, thankful that the bed was a full size rather than just a twin. 

"Goodnight, Leorio," he said quietly into the darkness.

 

~~~~~

 

It was a few days later when Leorio was home with no classes while Kurapika was reading and helping Leorio with his studying when a thought occured to him.

"Maybe I should get a job," he said, placing his thumb on the page of his book so as not to lose his place.

Leorio looked up from his textbook about common human diseases and hummed as he leaned back on the couch, turning to watch Kurapika.

"I just don't want to sit around here all day," he said, dog-earing the page he left off on and placing the closed book on the table."Not that I don't _love_ reading your biology textbooks in my spare time," he said through a smirk.

Leorio snorted and rubbed at his chin."Yeah, maybe you're right.Could be good for you to get out of the house."

Kurapika nodded and pursed his lips. "Know any places looking to hire?" he asked.

After a long pause, Leorio sighed and stood."Well, we won't know unless we go look, right?"

Kurapika looked up at him, smiling widely, before grabbing his shoes and making himself look mostly decent before they headed out.

They walked down the streets for what seemed like hours, and it probably had been hours based on how high the sun was in the sky.A few stores and cafés and restaurants had said they'd be willing to hire, but most had said there were no current openings.Kurapika had applied to the few places that said they were hiring, but he figured only one of them would get back to him, if any.After stopping for coffee and bread in one of the small bakeries they found, Leorio pointed out a somewhat fancy looking restaurant across the street with a large "now hiring" sign in the window.

Kurapika hurried across the road, beaming as he pushed inside with Leorio close behind.The place was mostly full, even for two in the afternoon, and waiters and waitresses were moving between tables, serving food and drinks and gathering dishes.Kurapika and Leorio watched from behind the front podium with a reservation book resting open, completely filled with names past five o'clock.

The receptionist was over rather quickly, and they smiled warmly at the two of them.

"Do you have a reservation?" they asked, long dark hair pulled up into a tight bun, grabbing a pen, ready to write in the book if need be.

"No.Actually, I saw you have a 'now hiring' sign in the window?" Kurapika said, allowing it to trail off into a question.

The receptionist smiled, "Oh, yes!Yes, we are hiring new waiters.Would you like me to schedule an interview for you?"

Kurapika looked up at Leorio, who shrugged and nodded.

"Please, thank you," Kurapika said.

After a quick few minutes of writing down information and scheduling an interview for the following day, Kurapika had a bounce in his step that made Leorio laugh.

"Don't get your hopes up," Leorio called after him, "It is a waiting job, after all."

"Better than no job, I'd say.Now I can pay you back for buying dinner," Kurapika beamed back at him, stopping to let Leorio close the gap that had formed between them. 

That night, he managed to pull together a decent resume, even with such short notice.He'd never had any job like this before, and wasn't sure if "bodyguard for a millionaire's daughter" was the right kind of experience for this sort of thing.He wrote it down anyway.

While Leorio was in class the next day, he walked down to the restaurant for his interview.Upon entering the building, the same receptionist greeted him with a smile and lead him to the manager's office.He gripped his resume tightly in his hand, taking a few deep breaths before entering the small room.

The manager was a tall man with graying hairs and a full mustache.When he greeted Kurapika, it was with a squinty-eyed smile and a firm handshake.He went on to tell Kurapika that they hadn't had anyone come in for the job yet, and he was more than excited to meet a new potential employee.

The interview was rather quick, and after a few glances at his resume, the manager told Kurapika that, even though this was his first time having this sort of job, he was sure that after some practice he'd be more than ready to take up the new waiting position.

Kurapika left the restaurant with a bounce in his step for the second time in two days.

 

~~~~~

 

He got a call that night after dinner from the restaurant, and Leorio leaned in close so he could listen as well, letting out a triumphant shout when the manager told Kurapika that, "after much _long_ and _hard_ deliberation," full of as much sarcasm as humanly possible, he got the job.

Leorio threw his fists up into the air once Kurapika hung up with a thank you, a large grin plastered onto his face."You did it!" he shouted, pulling Kurapika into a tight bear-hug.

"I did it," Kurapika confirmed, unable to move much until Leorio let him go.His first real shift wasn't until the middle of the week, but he was told to come in tomorrow to have a practice run to get used to the process of waiting tables.

He was more than happy to tell Leorio about his day when he got back home, excitedly explaining how his supervisor for the day was very impressed with him and telling him what all of the little abbreviations for each dish was that he wrote down and how he learned how to carry three plates on one arm.Leorio was most interested in the stories Kurapika told about the few strange people who had walked in for their meal.One man tried to send back a steak that was too overcooked, saying he wanted it "uncooked a little".When Kurapika and his supervisor told the patron that they would have to make a new steak for him instead, he had gotten upset, saying this one was perfectly fine, but needed to just be "uncooked" to his liking.

"Man, you'd think people would know these kinds of things," Leorio said through a laugh, wiping away the tears in his eyes.

"I know!We had to actually bring the chef out to tell him that you can't 'uncook' a steak," said Kurapika as he wiped his hands over his face.

They sat in silence for a while, before Leorio asked when his actual first shift was.

"In two days.The manager still has to get some formal stuff done."

Leorio hummed, staring up at the ceiling."Well," he started, grunting as he stood up, "We should head to bed.It's starting to get late."

Kurapika chuckled. "It's only ten o'clock," he said.

Leorio raised his eyebrows at Kurapika."Well, you don't have to wake up at seven in the morning almost every day."

Kurapika sighed and stood slowly. "Yeah, you're right.Let's go."

Now Leorio didn't argue about sleeping in the same bed with Kurapika, so they slipped under the covers easily with only half mumbled "goodnight"s before Leorio fell asleep and Kurapika was left to listen to Leorio's slow breathing as he drifted off.

 

~~~~~

 

On that first day, Kurapika had been only a little nervous.He arrived just after two o'clock, waving to the receptionist as he headed into the back to grab his new uniform.

He spent most of his time hurrying between tables for the first two hours.He brought plates full of food only to carry them back completely empty.He poured refills of water and brought fresh cocktails and glasses of wine to every few tables.He made jokes with the patrons who offered smiles and made conversation every time he came around.One couple ended up giving him a thirty percent tip.

Just after five-thirty, he was wiping down one of the empty tables when Leorio sauntered in, hands shoved into the pockets of his coat.

When Kurapika noticed him, he smiled and hurried over."What're you doing here?" he asked, ignoring the way his heart fluttered upon seeing him.

"I wanted to see how your first day was going," Leorio said with a shrug, "And we haven't seen each other since this morning for, what, five minutes before I left?"

Kurapika laughed."That's true.Listen," he said, "I can get you a seat at the bar, if you want.I would get you a table, but we're completely booked past six."

Leorio grinned. "Yeah, absolutely."

Kurapika lead him to the bar in the back of the restaurant, telling him he could get a beer on him.

Leorio frowned then."I'm not gonna make you pay for my drink-"

Kurapika shook his head, though. "You can count this as part of me paying you back."

Leorio eventually gave in and chuckled. "Alright, one beer then."

The bartender, a stocky man named Samuel, took note that Kurapika was paying and poured Leorio a beer.

"By the way," Leorio said after thanking the bartender, grabbing Kurapika's attention before he could go back to wiping down tables, "You looking _dashing_ in that uniform."

Kurapika looked down at himself and laughed.The uniform was rather simple, but form-fitting.A simple white button-up shirt with a black vest and bow-tie giving him a rather formal appearance."Why, thank you," he said playfully, giving a little bow before returning to his waiting duties while Leorio watched from over the lip of his glass.

Just as Kurapika had said, people started to file in around six, and by seven o'clock all the tables were full again.Kurapika glanced over at Leorio every now and then as he waited tables, and he managed to show off just how many plates and utensils he could carry at once.

Leorio ended up staying until Kurapika got off at eight o'clock, and Kurapika was surprised he hadn't gone home and done some studying instead. 

"I wanted to spend some time with you," was his excuse when Kurapika asked on their way back to the apartment.

"You spend time with me at home," he said while he smiles at the pavement.

Leorio waved his hand dismissively. "Two hours before we go to bed isn't enough for me."

Kurapika smiled up at him and nodded."I guess you're right," he said softly, "After all, I am a great person to be around," he said, and Leorio snorted.

They both showered when they got home, and when Kurapika was finished he helped Leorio do some quick studying before he dragged him to bed so he wouldn't fall asleep on the couch.

Leorio fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, so Kurapika carefully placed his glasses on the bedside table for him.The clock beside them read nearly eleven o'clock when he closed his eyes, and he slept soundly that night.

 

~~~~~

 

Kurapika woke up first that morning, and when he looked up at the clock, it said it was almost seven in the morning. 

He also found that Leorio's arm was thrown across his waist, hand tucked under the hem of the shirt he borrowed so his fingers were resting softly against Kurapika's lower belly.

Kurapika could feel his face heat and he tensed slightly, but didn't move away.He knew they had fallen asleep on opposite sides of the bed, so Leorio must've moved across the bed in his sleep and situated himself neatly behind Kurapika.Kurapika could feel Leorio's stubble scratching his neck and one of his legs was lodged firmly between Kurapika's thighs. 

His heart was doing somersaults and his stomach was twisting with nerves, but he still didn't move away.Rather, he startled rather violently when the alarm started to go off as the clock struck seven.He heard Leorio grumble behind him and he found it hard to ignore the butterflies inside his belly as Leorio tightened his grip around Kurapika's middle subconsciously as he woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's my [tumblr](http://armintie.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurapika knew he never wanted to be apart from Leorio again as he fell asleep in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cute, angst, angst, angst, cute, fluff

Kurapika and Leorio managed to have breakfast together that morning, and Kurapika noticed that he couldn't seem to make eye contact with Leorio during their conversation.He couldn't even remember what they had talked about once Leorio left for class. 

Leorio hadn't mentioned anything about waking up wrapped around Kurapika like a koala, but it was the only thing Kurapika seemed to be able to think about.It made his stomach flip and his heart race, and he always felt like smiling when he thought about it.He always frowned instead, though, as he pushed away the thoughts, trying to dispel his reactions.

He had clearly started to notice these feelings at this point, and now there was no real way to push them aside.Distance had always been his excuse for keeping those thoughts locked away in the back of his mind.Leorio always had a special place in his heart, even though he didn't always want to admit it.

Kurapika thought Leorio was somewhat annoying and hard-headed, but he somehow always found his personality charming, to a certain degree.Even when they had taken the Hunter Exam together, he remembered being both exasperated with and captivated by Leorio no matter what situation they were in.Leorio made him laugh when he got angry or frustrated, but it made his heart leap into his throat every time Leorio would make some joke late at night after hours of studying, giving him a crooked, sleepy smile, dark eyes squinting behind lopsided glasses.

The correct response would be to give a good faux laugh from over the top of his own book before telling him to shut up and go to bed.Kurapika would still manage to tell him so, but there was always a little blush that crept into his cheeks when Leorio gave him that dopey smile.

He didn't necessarily want to have these sorts of feelings for someone who most likely thought of him as a friend, but he also didn't seem to mind them.These little fairy tales that played out in his head made him feel light-headed and happy, made him feel loved and cared for, whether it be romantic or not.

After a cold shower in a (failed) attempt to get his head out of the clouds, he headed to work.He waited tables and did a fair job, but caught himself lost in thought one too many times.He kept glancing at the door, checking to see if Leorio would lope in, smile plastered on his face, ready to greet Kurapika and wait till his shift was over while he sits at the bar.Every time he checked a clock, though, it was clear that Leorio is still in class.

As it neared eight o'clock that evening, just nearing the end of his shift, Leorio still hadn't sauntered in and Kurapika found himself upset by that.He shook his head as if trying to disengage the response and finished gathering the dishes from the newly emptied tables.

He left with his coat tugged on over his uniform, hands tucked snuggly in the pockets as he headed down the sidewalk just after eight.

A shout from behind him made him startle, and he turned to glance over his shoulder.

"K'rapika!" Leorio shouted as he bounded down the sidewalk towards him.

Kurapika furrowed his brow, but felt a smile tugging at his lips. "Leorio?What're you doing here?"

When Leorio finally reached him, he was panting and hunched over, palms resting on is knees as he gathered his breath.

"I was… coming to walk you home after your, uh… your shift," he said between pants.

Kurapika's heart fluttered and he nearly beamed, but caught himself when Leorio straightened up and looked down at him. 

Instead, he chuckled."Well, you're a bit late, aren't you?" he asked.

Leorio laughed apologetically and rubbed the back of his neck."Yeah, well, I went home to take a quick nap after class and didn't wake up for a few hours."

Kurapika scoffed, "Did you not set an alarm?"

Leorio crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, "No, sir, I did not.I expected to wake up within an hour."

Turning to continue walking back to the apartment, Kurapika laughed breathily."This is why I tell you to go to bed earlier."

Leorio stepped up beside him, slowing his naturally wide gait to stay beside Kurapika, and bumped his elbow against Kurapika's arm."Yeah, yeah.You're not any better," he quipped, and Kurapika just rolled his eyes.

Kurapika still didn't say anything about the situation that morning, and decided to keep his feelings to himself for the time being.

 

~~~~~

 

The following Wednesday, Kurapika woke up at nearly ten in the morning.Leorio would've left for class almost two hours previous, and Kurapika sighed at the lack of warmth on the other side of the bed.He didn't have work that day, so he let himself lay in bed for another few minutes before yanking the covers back and forcing himself off the mattress.

He quickly tamed his hair in the bathroom mirror before heading to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

In the living room, however, he found a note sitting on the coffee table and the closet on the other side of the room wide open with nearly all the contents scattered on the floor along the wall.

 

_Good morning, Kurapika,_

_Had to empty out the closet to reach the vacuum.Sorry for the mess, just leave it be for now.I'll clean it up when I get back._

_Leorio_

 

Kurapika sighed and folded up the note before tossing it in the trash on his way to the kitchen.He opted for one of the cereals that Leorio had stashed away in the cupboard above the toaster and headed back to the couch to eat his breakfast.

Most of the items around the floor were normal house items that would often be kept away in a closet.The vacuum Leorio had needed sat upright closest to the coffee table, next to it's beat-up box.There were a few blankets and two pillows thrown haphazardly along the hard wood floor.A few other boxes sat all together, a few empty ones stacked on top of each other, but two of them were filled with books and a few knick-knacks, and what looked like mostly new cleaning supplies sat in another. 

When his eyes fell on the duffle bag that sat neatly on the floor near the door, he frowned softly.He sat his mostly-empty bowl on the table and moved to sit on the floor by the bag.He sat there silently for a moment, allowing the nerves in his belly to spread out till he felt it in his fingers. 

When he carefully unzipped the bag, he sighed and let light hit the vials containing his clan's eyes.Their bright red hue was almost too much for him, but he held one of the vials nonetheless and watched the eyes float absently in the clear fluid that let them remain ageless.

A horrifying mixture of anxiety and anger and fear churned in his stomach as he stared.His grip tightened on the glass and he placed it back in the bag carefully as he took deep breaths to steady his racing heart.

Kurapika had always said he wanted the rage inside him to keep living on.He didn't want to forget what had happened to his clan.What happened to his family and dear friends.He hadn't gotten rid of the Phantom Troupe, and maybe he never would. 

He took a deep breath again, telling himself that he had gathered all the eyes once more, and there was no need to be so on edge once again. 

His heart, however, kept racing and he could feel himself shaking.He growled and stood abruptly, shutting his eyes tight as he tried to will away the growing anxiety gripping his stomach.His hands were held in tight fists at his sides, nails digging into his palms, but he tried to focus on the pain rather than the stress and anxiety and heartache that was deciding to haunt him once again.

Eventually, he decided that he's calm enough to go about his day without sparing a second glance at the bag.

He managed to clean the dirty dishes that had begun to pile up in the sink and took a long shower, washing his hair more times than he knew he needed, but it kept him busy.

It was only noon when Kurapika finished any immediate duties around the apartment.He let himself get frustrated for a moment, knowing that if Leorio were here his mind wouldn't wander back to those dark places.

Sitting back down on the couch, Kurapika glanced at the bag that was still open, still allowing the sunlight to glint off the glass vials. 

He knew he had gone into a dark state after he, Leorio, Gon, and Killua had all parted after getting Killua from Kukuroo Mountain, and even darker after they had all helped him in Yorknew.He felt somewhat ashamed for letting his rage completely fuel him, even while knowing he was in the right all along for feeling that way.He knew that they all, especially Leorio, had been worried about him.He even had the missed phone calls and voicemails to prove it.

The guilt started to grip his stomach and he groaned, resting his face in his hands.He peeked through his fingers at the vials again, letting his hands fall back into his lap. 

He suddenly felt like crying and didn't know why.Normally he would've been angry when he was reminded.He'd get angry, then manage to calm down enough to start on a different task to really keep his mind away from anything that could set him off.There was always some anxiety mixed in there, whether it be from worrying about how he was going to actually get his revenge or just from worrying if he was actually going to be able to calm down.

But this was distress and anxiety and _fear_.And it was nothing scaring him in the present, it was the past.He cursed himself for ignoring everyone's calls; for never reaching out; for letting himself be nearly consumed.His heart was pounding again and he fisted his hands together to keep them from shaking as he felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.Things felt wrong and out of place.He should be worrying about what he should be doing next to complete his goal, not sitting in a small apartment wearing clothes that aren't his and getting comfortable.

Everything washed over him again like a tidal wave, and he suddenly remembered all the auctions, all the black markets, every place he had gone to in order to obtain those precious scarlet eyes. 

" _Shit,_ " he hissed, shoulders shaking as he tried once again to contain his emotions and to calm down. 

He could tell he was on edge, as if he was expecting someone to show up behind him at any moment.He felt tense, almost enough to actually feel the ache in his muscles.

Leorio had called him so many times in the months they had been apart.He remembered answering just a few of those calls.Enough to count on just one hand.

There would be weeks where he'd get a call or two a day, followed by weeks where he'd get one every three days, or even longer than that.He'd always felt somewhat more alone during those weeks, sometimes letting himself think that that was it.After a day with no calls from Leorio, he thought it would mean that was the end of it.That there would be no more calls from him. 

There was always a call the next day, though, and he wouldn't feel quite so alone that day.Even if he didn't answer, he knew Leorio was worrying about him.

Now it hurt like _hell_ that he didn't answer.That he didn't reassure Leorio that he was fine.That he didn't at least say a quick hello every time he got a call.

He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling a few stray tears fall down his cheeks.He thought about how Leorio must've been worried sick when he wouldn't answer for weeks.He imagined the days where Leorio called him more than twice, and that maybe he had heard some bad news or had a nasty feeling that made him worry excessively.

A few voicemails had been something along those lines.Others would be three minutes long complaints about something that had happened at school or about the neighbors being too loud for him to sleep at night.He never deleted any of those voicemails.He kept them for when he needed to hear a familiar voice.

He curled in on himself, tucking his knees up to his chest as he leaned back into the couch.His shoulders heaved as he finally let out a sob

He stayed like that for a long while, letting the guilt and anxiety rip through him.

After nearly an hour of tears and feeling as if he was going to be sick, he went to grab his phone and did something he literally hadn't done in months.

"Kurapika?"Leorio's voice was scratchy through the receiver.He had picked up after only two rings, and Kurapika was thankful for the quick answer.Leorio's voice was also breathy, like he was whispering, so Kurapika assumed he was still in class and immediately another wave of guilt flooded through him.

He swallowed shakily and took a deep breath instead, trying to push it all down.

"Leorio, I-" he choked, shoulders heaving with another quiet sob.He hated how he suddenly felt terrible again, unable to call out for help without feeling like a bother.

Leorio, however, didn't seem to mind.The voices that had been in the background, seemingly from the professor and other students, faded away.

"Kurapika?What is it, what's wrong?"Leorio's voice was thick with worry, this time much louder as well.

Kurapika let out another shaky cry, taking in deep breaths as he tried to gather his words.He was scared of this reaction.He didn't like feeling helpless like this, he didn't like not being in control of his emotions.

"I, _fuck_ , Leorio, I feel so sick.Everything feels wrong a-and fucking _helpless_ , I'm so anxious.I don't like this, Leorio, I don't-"He was talking too fast, and he could barely make out what he was saying himself.

He could hear Leorio's breathing growing faster on the other end of the line, and suddenly it hits him that Leorio was running to get to him.

"Kurapika?" Leorio asked, voice even more worried than before, "Kurapika, are you there?I'll be there in a minute."

Kurapika made a small noise and nods, only to realize that Leorio can't see him."Y-yes, I'm still here.I- God, I'm scared, Leorio, I'm so _scared_ and I don't know why."His voice cracked on another sob, and he clapped his hand over his mouth.

It seemed like an eternity before Kurapika could finally hear keys at the door, and he could just tell that Leorio was shaking.

When Leorio plowed into the room, letting the door slam shut behind him, the look on his face made Kurapika think he was about to burst into tears as well.Leorio dropped everything, including the phone after he'd hung up, and is knelt in front of Kurapika immediately.

Kurapika instinctively buried his face further into his knees, but Leorio grabbed his hands, holding them tight in his much larger grasp.

"Kurapika?Kurapika, hey, look at me," he said softly, bringing one hand up to try and ease Kurapika's face out from hiding.

He obliged and let his legs fall a little more slack as he looked down at Leorio.His heart dropped when he sees how deeply worried Leorio looked for him, and he felt another strangled sob make its way up his throat. 

"What's the matter?Are you okay?"Leorio was talking quickly, too, as he squeezed Kurapika's hands gently with one hand while the other brushed strands of blond hair out of his face.

Kurapika squeezed his eyes shut tight and swallowed the words "I'm fine" because he and Leorio both could tell that he was not fine.

He simply shook his head instead, letting his eyes open again only to let more tears spill out.

Without even an explanation, Leorio stood and scooped Kurapika up in his arms and carried him to the bed.He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders once he was seated comfortably on the mattress and knelt back down in front of him.

Kurapika just stared for a moment, still processing the sudden movement, but he was paying attention again when Leorio's hands were caressing his cheeks and wiping the tears away with his thumbs.

"What happened?" he asked softly after Kurapika's heart settled somewhat.

Kurapika took a deep breath, closing his eyes again as he tried to keep himself from bursting into tears again, but he knew it was inevitable.

"I, um," he started, swallowing and clearing his throat when his voice cracked again, "I was looking at the Kurta eyes when I saw the bag was out and just… started remembering.I remembered all the stuff I had to do and how I felt all those days.And everything was dark and uncomfortable and, ah, I'm so sorry Leorio, I'm so fucking _sorry_."The tears came again and he sobbed, but this time Leorio gripped his shoulders.It was support, and it kept Kurapika from curling in on himself again.

"Why are you apologizing?" Leorio asked, voice gentle as he took Kurapika's hands in his own again.

Kurapika's shoulders shook momentarily as he looked Leorio in the eye, and his throat seized when he could see tears in Leorio's eyes.

"For not fucking answering your calls," he croaked.The sharp intake of breath from Leorio made his stomach flip.The noise Leorio made borders on a growl, and Kurapika had no time to react before Leorio was wrapping him in a crushing hug.

His voice was muffled into Kurapika's shoulder, but Kurapika could still clearly make out the "I forgive you" that sent a fresh wave of tears to fall over his cheeks as he gripped the back of Leorio's shirt.

"And all that other stuff?" Leorio said finally, and Kurapika could hear the tears in his voice, "You don't have to worry about any of that anymore.You gathered your family again.No one can ever take them away from you now."

Kurapika nodded rapidly, his grip around Leorio's middle growing tighter as he focused on his voice.

"It's okay to be scared, but know that all that stuff happened in the past.And there may be no changing it, but we can all forgive you," Leorio said quietly, bringing one hand up to the back of Kurapika's head to run his fingers through his hair soothingly.

It took time, but Kurapika began to relax and his grip on the back of Leorio's shirt fell limp as he brought his hands back into his lap.When Leorio let go of him as well, he knelt back down on the floor in front of him.

Kurapika blinked at him, feeling exhausted.His throat was thick with tears and his eyes felt puffy, but Leorio smiled softly at him anyway. 

"Lay down.You're going to stay in bed for the rest of the day.Doctor's orders," he said softly, running his fingers through Kurapika's hair again.

A small smile graced Kurapika's lips and he nodded.

Once he was situated under the blankets, Leorio stood to leave the room, only for Kurapika to make a protesting noise and grab at the hem of his shirt.

He hesitated, that defensive wall coming up again only for a moment before he pushed it down again.

"Can you… please stay here?Please," he asked quietly, drawing his hand back under the covers as Leorio watched him with wide eyes.

Then, his eyes softened and he nodded."Of course."He kicked off his shoes and stripped out of his jeans before climbing into the bed with Kurapika, who immediately curled into Leorio's chest, reaching out to grip onto the front of his shirt.

Leorio made a little startled noise, but didn't move away, instead wrapping one arm around Kurapika's middle and rubbing his back soothingly.

Kurapika would've started crying again if he had the energy, but he simply closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.He listened to Leorio whisper comforting words into the top of his head and his chest tightened.

Months earlier, Kurapika would've been fine seeing Leorio and then parting again.He would've fared well and gone on with his life and continued collecting the scarlet eyes until he got to the position he was in now. 

But now, after having gathered them all and stayed with Leorio after having not spoken to him personally in months, he didn't know how he would be able to deal with not having someone there with him all the time.Leorio brought a giddy happiness to everyday life that he wouldn't have gotten otherwise.He had someone who really cared about him and would come running to his aid if he desperately needed it.

Kurapika knew he never wanted to be apart from Leorio again as he fell asleep in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's my [tumblr](http://armintie.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurapika slowly opened his eyes, blinking the sleep away and looking blearily up at Leorio. Both their eyes were crossed because of how close their faces seemed to have gotten all of the sudden, and Kurapika's stomach did cartwheels. Now he was significantly more awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> grey ace kpika ftw  
> im sorry i am finally posting again and it isnt even a new chapter. i just rewrote this one a bit so enjoy!!

Over the next few days Kurapika could tell that Leorio was being very careful about what he said.Whenever it was extremely apparent that he was purposefully avoiding the topic of Kurapika's past or when he would start backtracking on something he said, Kurapika would sigh and tell him it was alright, that it had just been a bad day and he let it get to him.It still didn't stop Leorio from calling Kurapika every chance he got to check up on him.Kurapika would always answer the first call he got, but never the rest.

He always regretted it, though, when Leorio would show up at the restaurant during Kurapika's shift and ask him if anything had happened.He would worry excessively, and he would have to tell Leorio that same thing over and over until he seemed satisfied that Kurapika was telling the truth.

Even though Kurapika did feel somewhat smothered and was beginning to get sick of Leorio's perpetual worrying, he didn't hate it.He liked how safe and loved he felt when Leorio called him, or asked him how his day was or how he was feeling when he got home or showed up at the restaurant after class.Even when he stopped calling every chance he got, if Leorio showed up to stay through the end of his shift, he could feel his heart leap into his throat and he'd get butterflies in his stomach. 

He'd finally started to come to terms with his feelings, and often wondered what would happen if Leorio felt the same.He couldn't think about it for too long, though, before his daydreams made him a bit too giddy.

After one exceptionally long day at work, Leorio listened to all Kurapika has to say on their way back home.Leorio figured Kurapika was tired, based on the fact that he just had to deal with waiting a party of close to fifteen people, four of whom seemed to change their order at least three times each.

"Who orders a salad and then decides they don't want lettuce in it?" Kurapika asked while they walked, still extremely baffled at the whole ordeal.

Leorio snorted and shrugged."Who knows.At least it wasn't as bad as the guy who ordered the sushi and then got upset that the fish was raw."

Groaning into his hand, Kurapika peeked out up at the elder."Don't even mention that guy.He sent me back at least three times to get him all different kinds of sushi, and each time he got upset that there was fish."

Kurapika was more than thankful to get back to the complex, and he was already stripping out of his uniform before they were even inside Leorio's apartment.Even when Leorio told Kurapika to go straight to bed after he'd changed, Kurapika protested and told him that he'd help him study for one of his upcoming tests.

When they both sat down on the couch, Kurapika took one of Leorio's text books and flipped open to the current chapter.

"Okay.How do you treat someone who is having a heart attack?" he began, and Leorio answered that one easily.

Kurapika continued quizzing him, shifting on the cushions until his knee bumped with Leorio's.Neither of them bothered moving, having gotten used to this new closeness between them. 

Soon they were bumping shoulders and elbows as they went back and forth asking questions and giving answers, and their thighs were pressed close together.Kurapika didn't dare admit that he's somewhat flustered by the close contact, but he could still feel the heat in his cheeks, so he kept his eyes trained on a paragraph about coronary disease.

It was nearing eleven o'clock when Kurapika started to feel sleep tugging at his eyelids, and he struggled to hold back a yawn. 

"Tired?" Leorio asked, and Kurapika could hear the smile in his voice.

He shook his head weakly and yawned again. "Nope.I can keep going.How do you treat someone who's having a stroke?"

It didn't take much longer before Kurapika could no longer keep his eyes open.He leaned on Leorio's shoulder, book resting in his lap since he couldn't find the energy to properly hold it anymore.After a few more half-hearted questions, Kurapika felt Leorio take the book out of his lap before he fell asleep.

When Kurapika woke up again, it was to Leorio shaking his shoulders lightly and whispering his name, saying, "It's almost midnight.We should move to the bed so you don't hurt your back sleeping like this."

Kurapika slowly opened his eyes, blinking the sleep away and looking blearily up at Leorio.Both their eyes were crossed because of how close their faces seemed to have gotten all of the sudden, and Kurapika's stomach did cartwheels.Now he was significantly more awake.

Neither of them moved, and Kurapika could see Leorio's cheeks dusted pink.He decided it was a good look for him.He licked his lips, and he could see Leorio's eyes flick down to his mouth and his throat bob as he swallowed.

Before Kurapika could make any sort of move, the moment was broken when Leorio looked away, clearing his throat as he sheepishly glanced back over at him.

"Sorry," he murmured, voice a little shaky.

Kurapika barely registered the word.His stomach had already dropped, and his heart was racing, though no longer from excitement but rather because of nerves.It took a moment, but then he cleared his own throat and shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry…" he whispered, looking down at his lap as he nibbled on his bottom lip."I'm sorry," he said again, even quieter.

"No, no, it's okay, that was my fault," Leorio said quickly, turning to face him again with a soft frown on his lips.Seeing that made Kurapika frown more himself, and he focused back on his knees.

Silence dragged between them, both seemingly too embarrassed to be the next one to talk or the first to stand up and head to bed.It was only after Leorio carefully stacked up all of his books again that he cleared his throat, making Kurapika look back up at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Were, uh…" he began, and Kurapika could already feel his cheeks heating again, "Were you… gonna kiss me?"

Before Leorio could even finish his sentence, Kurapika had his face buried in his hands, mostly from embarrassment but also because he was upset with the whole situation.He was.He really was going to kiss him.He was going to kiss him and tell him everything right then and there, but he couldn't know.Not when the moment had unceremoniously been cut short like that.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled out, voice muffled by the palms of his hands, but he definitely wasn't going to move them now.

"No, Kurapika, it's fine," Leorio said quickly, seeing how upset Kurapika seemed to be, "I actually, uh… I was.I was going to…"

But he trailed off. 

Kurapika, however, could put the pieces together and he finally looked up at him, a prominent frown on his lips.

"Then why didn't you?" he asked weakly, and he could see regret and an apology flicker in Leorio's eyes.

"Because… I…"Leorio didn't seem to know what to say, and instead of finishing his sentence, he gave his hands a wave to indicate an 'I don't know' before letting them fall back into his lap.

Silence enveloped them again, and now it was Kurapika's turn to speak.

"I really like you, Leorio…" he murmured, and he could see Leorio turn to look at him straight on now, eyes wide."I really, really like you."

He couldn't help the lump that began to form in his throat, and he shut his eyes as he took in a deep breath.Having a breakdown while confessing his feelings was not something he wanted to do right now, so rather than turn to look up at Leorio he simply continued with his eyes shut.

"You mean so much to me, Leorio, and it took me so long to realize it.Too long…" he mumbled, slowly opening his eyes, but let them stay focused on his lap. 

Love was something Kurapika was familiar with, but never on a romantic level.There had been platonic love, of course.He'd loved many of his dear friends, and still does.Pairo was the first.He always loved that boy, and he knew he'd never stop loving him.Then came along Leorio, Gon, and Killua, rekindling that love, making him come out of the rage- and sorrow-filled shell that he so often hid away in.He realized how much he had missed it.He missed it so fucking much.He had lost a whole portion of himself without even realizing it for years, and looking back he didn't know how he'd managed. 

He even felt as though there was too much love for him.Years earlier, he might have thought that they would all simply go their separate ways.Even with their promises of meeting again, he knew he'd at least have a hard time keeping it.At least, that would be the case if it weren't for the rest of them loving him more than he thought he'd ever be loved again.Gon and Killua, having been so adamant in helping him in Yorknew, had proved such to him.Even Leorio pitching it and helping a great amount had him learning that he really would never part from them. 

Now he knew that he would do anything for them and they would do anything for him.Especially Leorio, right here, right now.After spending the past few weeks together he knew it would be more than difficult to get away from him again.

"I know I thought you were an ass at first, and you thought the same of me, but… you really cared for everyone.Your true intent was pure, and I couldn't help but admire that," he continued, voice soft even as he felt that lump in his throat returning, "And… it took a lot of time.A _lot_ of time for me to realize just how much I actually l-loved you."

He stuttered on the word, mentally cursing himself for doing so before he heard Leorio's sharp intake of breath.At first he thought something was wrong, that he just made everything worse, but when he looked up he met Leorio's gaze and his eyes were wide.Leorio was watching him, a hand brought up to cover his mouth as he listened, but nothing was telling him he was doing anything wrong.He wasn't saying anything to make anything worse, and Leorio's expression told him to keep going.

"I love you, Leorio," he murmured, now staring straight at him and he could see Leorio's complete reaction.He swallowed audibly, eyes wet and Kurapika could tell he was biting his lip from behind his hand.

Something in his head told him he shouldn't be saying that so soon, but he meant it.The way Leorio took care of him and made him smile; made him laugh when he really needed it.Even when things were calm, and there was no immediate reason for cheering up, being around Leorio made Kurapika happy and comfortable.He knew it could all be platonic, and that friends could make friends laugh and smile and feel safe and comfortable, but this wasn't that.

"And I never want to leave you.Not ever again," Kurapika said, his own voice shaky as he felt tears coming to his eyes as well, "I… I've never felt this way about anyone before, Leorio, and I don't know what to even think of it."

That part scared him a little, but he swallowed it down and simply hoped that Leorio understood. 

When Leorio just continued to stare at him, eyes wide and still hiding behind his hand, Kurapika started to get nervous. 

_Did I just screw it up?Completely turn him off?Our friendship is never going to be the same…_

The thoughts made Kurapika begin to backtrack, cursing himself for ever having spoken about it at all.His stomach was turning over and he could feel tears springing to his eyes for real this time.

"I'm sorry, it's stupid.I just-"

Leorio's lips were on his, cutting his backtracking short, and Kurapika didn't know whether to pull away or let himself completely melt under his touch.A firm hand was wrapped around his middle to rest at the small of his back while the other cradled his cheek.Leorio's lips were slightly chapped, and Kurapika could feel his stubble ticking his cheeks, but both were not unwelcome. 

When Leorio finally pulled back, they were both a little breathless, and Kurapika could feel his cheeks burning up as he gazed up at the other.

"Don't apologize, it isn't stupid," Leorio said softly as he rubbed the pad of his thumb along Kurapika's cheekbone, "I… love you, too."

Kurapika took in a short breath, eyes going a little wide before squeezing them shut to rub at them with the heel of his hand.He could feel the tears coming again, but he just let out a breathless laugh. 

The tears he had in his eyes when he looks back up at Leorio must've startled him, because he frowned and furrowed his brow worriedly.

"It's okay, Leorio, I'm just… really happy," he said breathlessly with another soft laugh.

When relief spread over Leorio's face, he laughed again and just moved forward to press their lips together again, and Leorio seemed more than eager to return it.They spent the next few minutes like that, though it involved more laughter and breathless noises of relief and joy than actual kissing. 

After they parted, they both stared at each other, smiles on their lips, and Kurapika almost melted again under the gaze Leorio set him with, full of so much love and joy and fondness. 

"That, uh, was..." Kurapika started, only to realize he didn't really have anything to say that can be made into coherent words.

"Good?" Leorio offered, and Kurapika nodded.

A long silence dragged out between them.Mostly because Kurapika didn't really know what he was supposed to do or say next in this sort of situation, and he can tell that Leorio doesn't seem quite sure either.Kurapika figured he probably realized that was his first kiss, and his first confession of any sort.

"So, um," Leorio said finally, and Kurapika looked up at him.He watched Leorio's throat bob before he seemws to gather some more courage, letting out a breath bordering on a sigh. "Is this sort of, like… is this where you want to go with this?Er, uh, between us, I mean?"

Kurapika's heart fluttered.He swallowed down the tight feeling in his throat and hummed.He nodded once, fiddling with the front of Leorio's shirt. "I mean, if you want to," he said quietly, looking back down at his lap.

Leorio barked out a laugh and wrapped both arms around Kurapika's middle, pulling him closer than Kurapika thought was humanly possible. 

"Of course I do, you idiot," Leorio mumbled into the top of Kurapika's head before pressing a gentle kiss there.

Kurapika beamed, burying his face into Leorio's chest and wrapping his arms tight around Leorio's middle as well.

"We should head to bed," he said softly after what seemed like hours of simply being held by Leorio, glancing at the clock on the stove that read twelve-fifteen in the morning.

Leorio hummed in agreement and stood with Kurapika, leading him by the waist to the bathroom.

Once their teeth and faces were clean, they flopped down onto the bed.Rather than settling on either side of the bed like they would have any other night, Kurapika nestled into Leorio's chest.Leorio's hand was momentarily hesitant before it rested across Kurapika's waist, fingers rubbing lightly up his spine.

Kurapika hummed, enjoying the contact.He looked up at Leorio through his bangs, both their faces illuminated by the late-night city lights throughout he curtains at the window.

Kurapika shifted upward and placed a soft kiss on Leorio's jaw, his cheek, his nose, his chin, then his lips, letting that last one linger.He could feel sleep starting to take both of them before they part, so he burrowed back down into Leorio's arms, letting out a content sigh.

"Thank you," he said quietly into Leorio's chest.

The hand on his back stilled for a second, and didn't resume until Leorio let out a small questioning hum."For what?" he asked softly, sleep seeping into his words.

Kurapika shrugged lightly."Everything, I guess," he whispered. 

The hand on his back stilled again, but this time it pulled him closer before it started the soothing motion again.

"You don't have to thank me for that," Leorio whispered, and Kurapika could hear his smile.

"I do, though," Kurapika said softly. "You guys have done so much for me and I've never properly thanked you."

Rather than say anything immediately, Leorio hummed and squeezed Kurapika gently in his arms.

"It's aright, it's because we wanted to help you.You're our friend and we care about you.It's what we're supposed to do," he said quietly once he seemed to gather his words, and Kurapika buried his face in Leorio's chest, fighting the thickness in his throat and the tears pricking at his eyes.

He just nodded in response, not trusting his voice to come out as steady as he'd like.

They end up falling asleep like that, Kurapika nestled comfortably in Leorio's arms as Leorio's fingers tickle up his lower back as he drifts off to sleep.

Kurapika would've been happy keeping these feelings to himself, allowing them to simply fade out of his life over time and daydream when he needed the comfort or the escape.But he knew that would all end terribly.He'd never move on, never find actual love.He even knew that this was rare, and Leorio was something special he loved with all his heart.

Love wasn't entirely new to Kurapika, but the intimacy that such romantic love came with was something he was excited to experience.He was simply thankful that it was with someone as close as Leorio, who he knew would give him the world if he could.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How many times have you had sex?" Kurapika asked finally that day, not looking up from his novel as he spoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey!! a new chapter finally!! i really like this one and i hope you like it too!  
> also, if anyone ever does any art for this fic or something like that, you can either put my tumblr url, armintie, in the tags or @ me in the caption! hopefully i'll see it in my activity, but if i don't acknowledge it, feel free to comment here with a link to it!  
> (also I'm currently working on editing all the past chapters into past tense instead of present tense because I have no idea why i even did them in present tense in the first place lmao)  
> ((edit: i fixed them all))

There's finally a day when the both of them are free from school or work, and they spend it relaxing in Leorio's apartment, mostly silent as they do their own things.It's been nearly two weeks since they had spilled their feelings, and Kurapika thought he was starting to become used to the thought that he was in a relationship.They'd been taking things slow, Leorio being extremely careful of what he did or said to him, and always, _always_ , asked before he kissed Kurapika.The Kurta always told him it was okay if he just kissed him, but he knew he preferred it when Leorio asked first, and Leorio seemed to get that. 

They were both almost overly cautious during the first week, even though Kurapika knew Leorio had experience in much more intimate behaviors than holding hands and kisses on the cheek.

"How many times have you had sex?" Kurapika asked finally that day, not looking up from his novel as he spoke.

The question seemed to catch Leorio off guard, and he sputtered a bit as he looked up at Kurapika from his phone with a furrowed brow."Wh- I'm sorry?"

"How many times have you had sex?" Kurapika repeated, glancing up at Leorio this time as he folded the corner of the page he was on before setting the book down.It wasn't as if he'd be jealous or upset if he knew the number, he was just curious.

"I, uh…" he started, pausing to think for a moment, even counting on his fingers before holding up his hand with the number, "Five times, I think."

Kurapika hummed to that, watching his new boyfriend quietly."And with how many different people?"

"Four," he said softly, now holding his hands together in his lap as he started to relax, "One was twice.He had blond hair like yours looked when we first met."His voice was quiet at that last bit, glancing slowly down into his lap.

"Mm, I see," Kurapika said softly, before he picked his book back up and went back to his reading, as if they had just been discussing the weather. 

"Why do you ask?" Leorio questioned, finally looking back up at him.

Kurapika glanced back up from his book again for a moment as he shrugged."Just curious.I knew you had some experience in romance, but I wasn't sure exactly how much."

"Well, I wouldn't really call them romance," he said with a bit of a strained laugh, "They were all just one night stands."His mouth opened again as if he were going to add more, but he just shut it again and shook his head.The morose undertones of his expression made Kurapika curious, but he figured Leorio didn't want to talk about it now based on how he spoke up again."Are you… uncomfortable with that?"

The question made Kurapika pause, and he marked the page of his book and set it aside again as he thought."Not… really," he admitted before shrugging.It was true that it naturally made him a little jealous, but knowing it wasn't anything that could be long term helped.When Leorio arched a brow at that, Kurapika shrugged again."I just figured you'd have had sex more times than that," he quipped, teasing now as he picked up his book again to hide the smile that formed on his lips.

Leorio let out an offended noise at that, sitting up straight in his seat as he pouted at him."I like to focus on my studies more, you know, Kurapika," he shot back, but Kurapika could see through his lie, shooting him a look that read 'sure, Leorio, of course', which only made Leorio groan again.

"Whatever," Leorio sighed out as he glanced away, before a grin came to his lips."Besides, I've made up all the times I haven't had sex with this guy."Waving his right hand out to Kurapika, even wiggling his fingers, he glanced back at him.It took the blond a moment, but then his cheeks were dusted pink and he rolled his eyes to hide it.

"I don't need to know what you do with your private time, Leorio," he said before sighing and grabbing for his book again.But before he could even start reading again, Leorio was in front of him and tugging the book out of his hands as he leaned down into his space.

"I could increase that number if you'd like me to, though," he said, and the way his voice lowered enough to resonate in Kurapika's chest had his breath catching. 

Kurapika could feel his cheeks burning and he wanted to look away, but he couldn't.Leorio had a toothy grin on his face, one that made Kurapika's heart skip a beat every time he did it, but his eyes were dark and held something more than Kurapika had seen in his gaze before.

It frightened him, in all honesty.He knew what that look meant. 

It wasn't the thought of someone being sexually attracted to him that scared him, though, it was the actions that could come after it.Despite the heat in his cheeks, Kurapika could feel his stomach drop and his throat tighten before he furiously shook his head, eyes shut tight, as he pushed at Leorio's chest.Immediately, he felt Leorio move out of his space.

"Kurapika?I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," he was saying, and when Kurapika opened his eyes, Leorio was crouched on the floor in front of him, hands balled into fists where he rested them on his thighs.His concerned gaze had Kurapika's throat tightening again.

Slowly tucking his legs up against his chest, Kurapika just shook his head."It's okay, just… it just caught me off guard," he mumbled.

"You looked scared…"

Kurapika's gaze shot to Leorio's as he opened his mouth to protest, but he simply shut it again since it was true."Yeah," was what he settled on, voice quiet as he glanced down at the top of his knees.

"Why were you scared?" he murmured as he reached up to lift Kurapika's chin and have him look at him.This time, Kurapika didn't lean away from the closeness.

Shrugging, Kurapika gazed at Leorio."I… I don't know, I guess I'm just… not used to it," he muttered as he fought the urge to look away again.He watched as Leorio's brow furrowed slightly, but he stayed quiet so Kurapika could continue."I've never felt any sort of… sexual attraction to people.Granted, I've never been romantically in love with someone either, but I know I've felt romantic attraction far more than sexual attraction," he explained, allowing himself to glance away now as he tried to gather his words, "I've never had anything like sex before.The thought just doesn't appeal to me.It terrifies me, even."

Leorio was frowning again when Kurapika looked over at him, but he didn't look upset.He was thinking, trying to understand and gauge what to say."So, you don't like sex?" he asked curiously.

At that, Kurapika shrugged."Well, my body will react to it and feel good, but I don't necessarily know how it feels so I can't say whether or not I actually enjoy it.I've just… never tried anything.Never felt the need for it."

Those words seemed to make Leorio understand, at least to a certain extent, because a smile lit up his face again."Kurapika, that's fine," he murmured before taking one of his hands and rubbing his thumb over his paler knuckles, "I won't do anything that makes you uncomfortable."

_Thank, God._

"Thank you, Leorio," Kurapika whispered, a relieved smile coming to his lips as he finally came out of his little ball to wrap his arms around Leorio's neck and burrow his face into the crook of his neck.The way Leorio's arms wrapped around his middle to hold him close was comforting, and he felt safe in his warm embrace.That's one of the things he liked the most about Leorio.He made him feel safer than he ever could when he held him like that, comforting him as he pressed gentle kisses against the side of his head and murmured comforting words beside his ear.

"But… Leorio?" he asked quietly, voice barely above a mumble.

"Mm?"

"I have, uh, noticed things about you that I do like…" he murmured, burrowing more against Leorio's neck to try and hide the blush creeping up into his cheeks.He could feel it when Leorio chuckled, and he almost wanted to hit him, but the way Leorio gently rubbed his back encouraged him to continue with his thoughts. 

"You're a very attractive man, and sometimes I realize it and it seems to almost shock me.And I realize that if I were someone else or if I felt differently, I wouldn't hesitate on any feelings or urges that I had," he murmured as he gripped tighter around Leorio's neck, "I just notice things.Like when you're undressing in front of me I can't help staring for a moment before I get embarrassed, or when you walk around the house without a shirt on and your hair is messy and sticking up the wrong way.Even when you wear those damn sweatpants that sit way too low on your hips."

Leorio laughed softly at that as he patted Kurapika's back gently before making him pull back so he could properly look up at him."I didn't know you thought of me like that, Kurapika," he teased, a wide grin on his face.

"Oh, shut it," Kurapika whined, but a smile tugged at his lips anyway, "It's not even necessarily me feeling anything in a sexual sense, it just occurs to me that, commonly, people would feel that way, and that makes me nervous and embarrassed…"

"Well, that's normal," Leorio said as he smiled softly up at him, "I know I've felt my fair share of nervousness around you.Like when you first wake up and you have that cute little smile on your face and your hair is all sticking up funny."

Kurapika rolled his eyes at that and gently pushed at Leorio's chest, and even glanced away when Leorio chuckled at his reaction.

The silence that follows is comfortable, and soon after, Leorio gently took Kurapika's hands in his own and intertwined their fingers."Just please tell me if I ever do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, okay?" he asked as he set Kurapika with a gentle gaze.

"I will, Leorio, I promise," he murmured as he gave his much larger hands a gentle squeeze, which had Leorio smiling.

"Good.Then, may I ask if curling up in bed with a movie on my laptop and maybe some ice cream would be okay?"

The proposal made Kurapika laugh softly before nodding his head."Yes, that sounds very okay, Leorio." 

And so, they did just that.It was only four in the afternoon, but they shut all the curtains to make it as dark as possible before they sat in bed, Kurapika leaning comfortably against Leorio's chest, as they both took spoonfuls from the tub of chocolate ice cream that Kurapika held in his lap.Leorio had chosen the first of the Indiana Jones series, which Kurapika had never seen and thoroughly enjoyed this time, even if he found that halfway through the movie he seemed to be watching Leorio more than the actual film, enjoying his reactions and his commentary or facts on the characters.He couldn't tell if Leorio noticed his wandering gaze or not, but there were a few times when their eyes met and they both looked back at the screen of the laptop like two middle school kids, too embarrassed to look their crush in the eye.It made Kurapika smile, though, and he managed to nestle closer to Leorio's side with his head resting against his shoulder.

The rest of the evening was spent mostly goofing off.Even if Kurapika kept trying to force Leorio to study, it never worked. 

They ordered in Chinese takeout for dinner because Leorio wanted to bake cookies from scratch, and they somehow managed to make the dough from the small amount of actual ingredients in the apartment while they shouted and laughed around mouthfuls of noodles and rice.They didn't even have any actual chocolate chips, so they used the candy bars that had accumulated in the fridge since Kurapika hardly ate them when Leorio got them each one.That part seemed to be the most fun for Leorio, since he got to crush them up in a plastic baggy with the bottom of his smallest pot against the counter. 

"Leorio, be careful," Kurapika kept saying, even though he was laughing at how amused Leorio was by doing such a thing, "The other tenants will complain!"

"If they complain, then they won't get any cookies," Leorio said, as if that was any compromise to banging a pot mercilessly against the countertop.Kurapika was more than happy when the chocolate was adequately crushed into small enough pieces to be put into the cookie dough and for the loud bangs of the pot to stop, though. 

Putting the dough onto the cookie sheet was the most fun part for Kurapika, mostly because he got to have little spoonfuls of it raw, despite Leorio's complaints about him getting salmonella. 

"You're in no place to say that," Kurapika shot back as he watched the elder lick some of the dough off of his finger.

Leorio just chuckled and shook his head."Fine, it's good, just don't eat too much of it."

After Kurapika agreed not to eat anymore and once they were placing the last little ball of dough, he noticed a bit of it on Leorio's lip from when he had stolen some from the bowl.

"Hey, Leorio," he said and made a motion for him to come closer.

"What?" he asked as he raised a questioning brow at him, but Kurapika didn't answer verbally.A sudden bout of confidence came over him and he tugged Leorio down to his level by the front of his shirt to press a sweet kiss to his lips and lick the bit of dough off.

"There, all clean," he said when he pulled back and let Leorio stand up straight again, smiling innocently up at him.

However, he did get his desired reaction.Leorio was still somewhat slouched over, cheeks pink, and it was even spreading up to the tips of his ears as his jaw went somewhat slack.Kurapika's giggles seemed to snap him out of it, though, as he stood up straight again and cleared his throat.

"Thank you," he said quietly, trying to act composed, but Kurapika noted the smile that came to his lips when he turned back to the cookie sheet to put it in the oven. 

Once they were in the warm oven and the timer was set, Leorio ushered Kurapika back to the coffee table where their dinner was so they could finish it before the cookies were done.As they sat and ate they talked together on the couch, close enough that their thighs were pressed together.

When the timer finally did go off, Leorio all but shot up off the couch to go check on them.

"Oho, they look perfect!" he called from the kitchen as he put them on the counter to cool off. 

Still amused by Leorio's excited reaction, Kurapika joined him in the kitchen as the tempting smell of chocolate chip cookies filled the small home."They smell perfect, too," he noted as he gazed hungrily at the dozen cookies.

"Do we have milk we could use?" Leorio asked as he started to get the cookies off of the hot pan and onto a plate for them to pick at while Kurapika checked the fridge and pulled out a half empty gallon of milk and poured each of them a glassful.

The cookies even tasted perfect.Once they both sat back around the coffee table to eat them, they munched away at their cookies and milk.Kurapika laughed when Leorio lost a piece of his cookie to his glass of milk when it got too soggy, which he only managed to retrieve after he drank the entire glass of milk.

With the couple full and comfortable on the couch again, a few cookies still left on the plate that neither of them dared to touch for fear of being sick, Kurapika felt himself growing sleepy.Even though the clock only read nine at night, Kurapika could feel himself no longer able to keep his eyes open.

"L'orio?" he asked quietly, voice a little slurred.

"Yeah?" came the elder's response, and it didn't help Kurapika's situation that Leorio began to run his fingers gently over Kurapika's forearm.

"Can we go t'sleep?" he asked before yawning and blinking blearily up at Leorio, who simply smiled fondly down at him and made Kurapika's heart flutter.

"Yeah, let's go," he murmured before standing and scooping Kurapika up in his arms to head to his bedroom.Kurapika felt like he could fall asleep in his arms just like that, head resting comfortably against his chest.He could hear Leorio's heartbeat, and it made him smile softly before nuzzling against his shirt.

He changed slowly into his pajamas, but he did need help with a few things, such as getting out of his binder and even figuring out how to tie the tie on his sweatpants, which had Leorio flustered and laughing, respectively.

Only when they finally both curled up in bed did Kurapika feel truly calm and comfortable.He had his back pressed against Leorio's bare chest, and Leorio's arm was wrapped securely around his waist so his hand rested gently against Kurapika's clothed belly.It made him even more pleased when he felt Leorio's nose nuzzle against the nape of his neck and his arm pull him gently closer.

"Mm, Leorio.." he murmured, voice quiet as he let their legs intertwine under the sheets.

"Yes?"

"I love you," he whispered, before gently running his fingers over Leorio's hand that held them close.

Silence came from behind him for a few moments, only able to hear Leorio's breathing.He hadn't said that very often since that first night, mostly because they hadn't had time like this together in a long while, and he felt he had to say it at the right moments.

"I love you, too," came Leorio's response, quiet and a little breathless and he was definitely smiling.Kurapika smiled as well, nestling closer before he drifted off into a comfortable slumber with Leorio's lips in his hair and those last words lulling him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's my [tumblr](http://armintie.tumblr.com/)


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